The Cure
by ScarletRaven1001
Summary: Vegeta has been infected by a potent flu virus, and it is up to Bulma to find a cure. Emotions run high as Bulma fears losing him, and Vegeta fights to reassure her that for as long as she wants him, he will never, ever leave her. [One-shot, post-DBS. February 2018 / Spring 2018 TPTH Vegebul Smutfest. Day seven: Cancer.]


**A/N 1** :

This is the censored version. For the full, uncensored story, please find me on Ao3, under the same pen name. Thank you!

8-8-8-8-8

The Cure

8-8-8-8-8

Bulma should have known that something was wrong when, upon waking, she found Vegeta still in bed.

He was usually up before everyone in the entire Capsule compound, training after only a few hours of sleep. He would emerge from the training room as soon as breakfast was served, because by then, he had already completed his warm-ups.

She had gotten up quietly, smiling fondly at his nearly inaudible snoring, then made her way downstairs to help their children prepare for the day.

It was about an hour later, as she was in the dining room strapping little Bulla into her high chair, when she realized that her husband still had not come down from their bedroom.

"Trunks," Bulma called out to her son, who was already seated at the dining table in his high school uniform. He was holding a bagel in one hand and a text book in the other, his eyes moving rapidly across the words as he frantically tried to cram for that day's upcoming exam that she was _sure_ he didn't prepare for at all.

Trunks turned to her distractedly, "Yeah, mama?"

"Could you go get your father?"

"He should come out of the training room soon enough," he said dismissively, taking another large bite of his breakfast as he turned back to his book.

"Actually, he's not there. He's still in bed," she answered.

The sixteen year old dropped his book along with his jaw, looking at her in disbelief. "What, seriously? No way."

Trunks looked up in the direction of their bedroom with a confused furrow between his brows, before he went and headed upstairs, a tense look in his eyes.

Less than a minute later, she heard his voice calling out, "Mama! Mama you gotta come up here, quick!"

"Bulla, baby, stay here, alright?" she told her toddler, who was happily shoveling food into her mouth, as she stood to see what the problem was.

Trunks, who had hit a huge growth spurt in his last year of middle school and was now a few inches taller than her, looked like a troubled child again as he stood just outside their open bedroom door, wringing his hands in agitation.

"Trunks, what happened?" she asked, walking past the young man and into the room, where she found her husband laying on his side and facing away from her. He was curled up under the sheets, entirely concealed by the comforter save for his flame-haired head and left shoulder, dead to the world in slumber.

She was about to call his name to wake him when she realized that something about Vegeta was… _off._

Why the hell didn't she notice this earlier?

"Vegeta?" she called out softly, hesitantly, reaching out to place a gentle hand on his exposed shoulder.

A gasp left her lips, eyes wide and disbelieving, and she pulled her hand back in shock.

Vegeta was _burning up._

His Saiyan body temperature was always marginally higher than an earthling's, but as she touched him now, she recoiled at the nearly painful heat that she felt on her fingers.

"Vegeta?" she called out, slightly louder, concern gnawing at her insides when he didn't budge even when she tried to shake him awake.

"Woman," he finally responded, but his usually powerful voice was now raspy and coarse, barely loud enough for her to hear. "Cease this shaking at once."

She breathed a sigh of relief, but it was very short-lived, as her usually infallible, nigh-invincible warrior of a husband suddenly barked out a throaty, painful sounding cough.

"Vegeta? Are you alright?"

He finally turned to her, and her eyes widened in shock as she took in his bleary eyes, pale face and very dry lips. Dark bags ringed his eyes and his nose was a dark pink, and he was rather unfocused as he tried to meet her eyes.

Vegeta was sick.

She never thought it would ever be possible.

Worry filled her entire body as she regarded him, slightly panicked at the thought of the existence of a virus strong enough to reduce her god-like husband to this state.

"Oh kami," she muttered, then placed the back of her hand against his forehead, confirming the burning heat that she had felt from his shoulder earlier.

"Babe, I need you to just lay down here and wait for me, ok? I'll just get the kids settled, then I will whip up something to make you feel better," she said softly to him, leaning over to place a soft kiss on his sweat-dampened forehead.

He nodded weakly, and Bulma reluctantly left his side to see Trunks, who was still standing restlessly near the doorway.

"Trunks," she began. "I know this is strange, but your father is very sick."

"Crap! I knew it, something felt wrong with his ki," he answered, running an agitated hand through his short purple hair. "But how on earth did that happen, mama? We Saiyans never get sick."

"I don't know, Trunks. But I need to find the cure. The last virus to ever affect a Saiyan…" Bulma trailed off, gulping audibly, and Trunks' brows knit even closer together in worry.

"Uncle Goku's heart virus," he said coldly. "You told me about it. 'Future me' brought the medicine that 'future you' made for him."

"Exactly," she confirmed with a nod. "I need to make some medication for this virus, as well. It wouldn't have affected your father if it was a common flu, so it must be a potent virus strain."

"Anything I can do to help?"

"I need you to get granny and tell her to take care of Bulla today. I will ask Son-kun for a senzu, but if that doesn't work, I will take your father to the eastern medical wing. You and Bulla need to stay away from both of us because if it affected your father, chances are it will affect you two, as well."

"What about you?" he asked, his eyes narrowed in concern.

"I will make the medicine, so if I catch the virus, I will take some of it as well. But don't worry, I will be careful. Now go. Find granny, tell her to get Bulla," she instructed, pulling her cellphone out and hitting speed dial. "You go to school and don't worry. We'll be fine."

"Hello?" the other line picked up as Trunks nodded and flew to find his grandmother.

"Chichi, is Son-kun there?" Bulma asked into the phone.

"Sure, just a sec. Goku-sa! It's Bulma-chan!"

Shuffling, then "Hi Bulma!" her long-time friend answered.

"Son-kun. I have a problem," she said without preamble. "It's Vegeta. He's very sick. Can you come and bring me a senzu bean?

"Sure, I'm on my way," he answered, dropping the line. A few seconds later, he appeared before her, two fingers on his forehead from his instant transmission. He was clad in his usual orange gi, but was wearing a disturbed look on his usually smiling face.

"Did you say _Vegeta_ was sick?" he asked, pulling the senzu bean out of his pocket and handing it to her.

"Yes, I did. Thank you," she said as she took the bean. "Stay here while I give it to him. I don't want to chance you catching this virus as well."

She left Goku in the hallway as she made her way to her husband again.

She knelt beside the bed near him, a gentle hand on his shoulder to rouse him. "Vegeta. Can you open your mouth for me? I have a senzu bean."

He opened his bleary eyes as he opened his mouth, then began chewing the bean.

One minute passed. Then two.

"It didn't work," she said, dread settling in as the realization hit her. This meant that this virus was potentially lethal.

She watched her husband go back to sleep, as she pulled her phone out again to call the chief of their biological research division.

"Suni," she said as soon as the other line picked up, briskly walking out of the room to meet Goku in the hallway again. "I need urgent assistance. I am at the main Capsule house. Bring me two full sets of contact precaution PPEs immediately. Send urgent instructions for all staff to clear out of the eastern med bay, I know it doesn't have any patients right now. Prepare a complete specimen sampling kit in the med lab. I need this done _now,_ Suni."

"Oh geez. It didn't work?" the other Saiyan asked, eyes wide in alarm. "Now what, Bulma? Do you want me to get Whis?"

"No, he's at that big meeting with the other angels. He told me last week. You won't be able to reach him now."

"I want to help. How can I help?"

"The Dragon Balls," she answered, running back into her bedroom again, anxious eyes straying towards Vegeta as she dug into her cabinets for the dragon radar.

She ran back outside and handed the radar to Goku, as she heard her mother answer the door downstairs, knowing that it was her bio team with the protective gear.

"Son-kun, go and collect the dragon balls, just in case. I will call you if I end up needing them. For now, I just need you to take him to the med bay, then you need to stay away from Capsule Corp because I don't want to risk you catching this thing as well," she instructed as she saw her staff come up the stairs with the two sets of yellow gowns, face masks, shoe covers, hair nets and latex gloves.

She instructed Goku on how to put the items on before they both went into the room again to get Vegeta. She watched Goku's eyes widen in shock as he took in the sight of his long-time friend and rival lying prone on the bed.

"He's gonna be fine, Son-kun. I won't let anything happen to him," she reassured him as Goku picked Vegeta up, blankets and all.

"You know the usual med bay where we go when one of you are injured? Take him there and place him in the first room with a bed that you see. I will follow you in my hover jet. I will make the medicine and a vaccine. If this virus was strong enough to affect Vegeta, it may be strong enough to affect you, my children and yours. I need to formulate a vaccine," she said, and she watched Goku nod at her before he flew off in the direction of the med bay, as she began to run to her car, worry gnawing at her very core.

 _I can do this. I will make that medicine, and I will make that vaccine. I know I can._

8-8-8-8-8

Bulma held her head in her hands as looked into the room monitor she left with Vegeta to keep an eye on him while she was in the lab.

She bit her lip as she watched the small centrifuge run her samples around, hoping against hope that her suspicions were correct. She had taken off most of her PPEs and was now in a labcoat, because if her hypothesis was sound, then _she_ wouldn't need the protective gear.

Goku had done as she asked, and when she arrived, she had asked him to leave her and Vegeta so she could take the samples and begin making the medicine.

Before she began working on the medicines though, she gave Vegeta some antibiotics, hoping they would help, but knowing it was futile if even the senzu were powerless against the virus.

She took her fluid samples and encapsulated them, while she opened up a capsule full of soup, water and other light food.

It took her a while, but she finally lifted Vegeta to sit up against the headboard. She was still in her protective gear as she fed him, and he watched her as she tried to coax some soup and drink into his parched lips. He was leaning heavily against the headboard and against her, and her heart was aching for him as she watched him try to ingest more food with her help.

"Bulma," he rasped, reaching a hand out to hold one of her latex-wrapped ones. "I am full."

"Could you at least drink some more?" she asked, holding up a glass of water with her other hand.

He nodded, then began drinking, and she was crushed as she watched him take very small, very painful-sounding gulps of liquid.

When he had drunk and eaten as much as she could possibly feed him, she lay him back down, placing a hand over his forehead. He was still burning up.

The last time he was this helpless was after the gravity room exploded all those years ago, and she was seriously getting anxious about what had infected him to make him so ill.

"Vegeta, I'm gonna let you go to sleep in a while. But do you think you could remember exactly when you started feeling sick? You never let on, you seemed perfectly fine yesterday."

He blinked up at her, before he answered. "Two days ago. After I went to that animal farm with Bulla."

The zoo.

He gulped again, his breathing harsh as he continued. "There were some strange-looking monkeys in a cage. One of them was sick. I started sneezing when I smelled him."

Bulma's mind whirred. A monkey?

"Bulma," he whispered hoarsely, and she leaned closer to him to catch his next softly whispered words. "You can fix this. I know you can."

Tears gathered at the edges of her eyes at his words, and she leaned down, planting a kiss on his forehead through the face mask still covering her mouth. "Yes Vegeta. I can. I will."

' _I must.'_

It was up to her to find the cure. To cure Vegeta. To save the love of her life.

She had immediately suspected that the monkey he was referring to had to have been involved in this somehow, and she very nearly trashed the whole medical facility as she looked for samples she knew she had stored for very specific types of viruses.

The machine stopped whirring, pulling her from her thoughts and Bulma immediately stood to regard the samples.

It was just as she suspected, as she analyzed the samples and noted that the two tubes that showed any reaction to her chemicals were the samples she had taken from Vegeta, and the one with the simian DNA.

Bulma immediately set to work. Knowing what she was dealing with now, she had a springboard, and knew that with her technology and brains, she could find the exact source of this virus and formulate her medicine to make Vegeta feel better.

It appeared that her powerful alien warrior husband was infected by an evolved strain of simian retrovirus. By her research, the virus was not infectious to earthling humans in its current form, but there was a chance that it will eventually progress and be harmful to them as well.

Several hours later as the sun had already begun to set, a tired but very happy Bulma had her answers, a syringe of extra-strong antibiotic for Vegeta, and seven sets of vaccines germinating in the lab – six for her Saiyan family and friends, and one sample to accompany her research findings.

The scientist in her cheered the fact that she had come up with another brilliant discovery and was now working on a way to counteract it. She had compiled her reports, the data now ready for an initial proposal to the office of disease control in Satan City.

But the woman in her was anxious that this discovery had to harm her own husband first.

Relieved at least that she could now handle the disease, she headed to her patient to administer the antibiotic.

"Vegeta," she called out as she entered his room. "I have your medicine."

He glanced at her weakly, then began to sit up.

"No, babe, don't get up," she said, rushing to his side, pulling the blankets aside to bare his arm to her. She flicked the syringe slightly before she stuck it into the protruding vein in his arm.

"You're gonna be fine. I got you," she whispered to him, hoping that her medication works as expected, and soon.

She pulled the syringe out and discarded it into a sharps dispenser, then sat at a desk at his bedside, thinking he was asleep.

A soft whisper came from him, and her heart burst at his words.

"Yes. I know you do."

8-8-8-8-8

A couple of days and two more doses of medicine later, and Vegeta was pretty much back in form.

He was loud and abrasive again, and she had woken up in their bedroom to find that the stubborn man had dressed in his armor and fighting attire, about to pull on his boots, and was insisting on going back into his training room as he was 'fine', he said.

"Vegeta, _no._ You are not going to train today. You need to rest some more!" she protested loudly, grabbing his arm as she tried to hold him back.

"Woman, I have been in bed for more than 48 hours! I have rested _more_ than enough!" he shouted back.

"You didn't see yourself two days ago! You were very sick and we were all so worried!" she tightened her grip on him. "Trunks was so upset that he only got 95% on his exam because he was so distracted thinking about you! Son-kun collected all seven dragon balls in two hours, he was in such a panic!"

"And I am telling you that I am feeling fine now, woman!"

"And I am not saying that you don't feel fine now, what I am saying is you should rest more! Ease yourself into your routine, don't just barge into the training room and bash your own skull in like usual!"

"I do not bash my own skull in, what are you even talking about?"

" _Vegeta just sit the fuck down!"_

Vegeta sulked as he sat down onto the edge of their bed, crossing his arms and looking away from Bulma with a huff.

Bulma sighed, her shoulders sagging.

"Vegeta, seriously. I was so worried about you," she began, remembering the state he was in, and she felt treacherous tears begin to form in her eyes again as she thought back to that day, to the anxiety she had over whether or not the medicine was actually going to work… If she was going to be unable to save her own husband's life, after he had repeatedly put himself through hell and back to always keep her and their family safe.

Vegeta turned to face her then, wincing as he noted the tears beginning to fall down her cheeks.

"Bulma, I am fine now. And I have you to thank for that," he said, reaching for her and making her sit beside him on the bed.

Bulma wrapped her arms around him, nuzzling her face into his chest, her heart constricting painfully at the thought that if she had failed to find the cure, she could have lost this man.

He continued speaking, "I shall be more careful. I am just glad that I had been the one to catch the infection instead of Bulla."

She nodded. "I think you caught the infection faster becauseyou are full Saiyan. That is why the first person I called in to vaccinate as soon as the vaccines were finished was Son-kun."

She looked up at him as she felt a rumble begin in his chest, rolling her eyes as she saw the widening smirk on his face.

"Oh yes, the sight of that fool screaming in terror as you tried to stick that tiny needle into his arm is definitely a memory that I shall cherish until the end of my days," he said, a sadistic gleam brightening his eyes.

She gave him a soft reprimanding slap on his chest as she chuckled and he cackled in glee.

"Well, at least you found some entertainment in that," she muttered.

"I hope that now you too are feeling more cheerful," he said, and she felt his forefinger on her chin, lifting her face up to meet his eyes. The same finger moved up until it was softly caressing her bottom lip. "I owe you my life, Bulma. I do not know what would have happened to me if you hadn't been here to find the cure."

She smiled softly at him. "I will always be here for you, Vegeta. I would go to the ends of the earth to make sure that you are always healthy and happy."

"And I would risk this entire universe if it meant that this smile remains on your lips," he whispered, before he leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on her lips.

She felt a dark blush take over her entire face as she processed his words.

'Did he actually say that?' she asked, bewildered, even as she closed her eyes against the fuzzy feelings that his kiss, and his uncharacteristically romantic words, had evoked in her.

She realized that he must be feeling rather emotional at knowing that she had actually pulled him up from the edge of death. He wrapped his arms tight around her, lifting her against him, pulling her onto his lap as he deepened their kiss.

His tongue played softly with hers, running across her teeth, sampling every inch of her mouth. He delved into her, and Bulma moaned as his sensuous kiss began to stir the passion within her.

She felt his hands tangle in her short blue hair as he breathed in deeply, his mouth moving to slant more fully across her own. Her own hands began to wander, stroking the thick muscles on his upper arms that she could feel straining against his skin-tight clothes.

He groaned against her mouth as she wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers playing with the short hairs on his nape, and he responded by clutching her head possessively, taking full control as his kiss became more demanding, more ardent.

She began to pant as he pulled away from her to nip lightly at her chin, his lips and teeth leaving a hot trail of desire up her jawline until he reached her ear.

His teeth clamped softly on her earlobe and tugged, making Bulma cry out as her body started to writhe against him.

"Bulma," Vegeta whispered into her ear, his warm breath sending shivers up and down her spine. "I want you, Bulma."

She groaned, his words filling her with heat, her head falling back as he started planting kisses down her throat.

"Are you – oh!" she panted, "Are you sure you're well enough, Vegeta?"

He chuckled against her throat, the sound sending delicious vibrations through her. "Let me show you, woman."

He loosened his hold on her to clutch at the hem of her nightgown, which had ridden up and was now pooled around her hips. He pulled it up her body, his hands skimming her waist and the sides of her breasts, and Bulma sighed in delight as she felt her bare breasts meet the cold air of the room.

Vegeta stared hungrily at each inch of flesh he revealed, and Bulma was struck once again by how, even though they had been together thousands of times before, Vegeta still looked at her body as if he was seeing it for the first time, every time.

It was one of the things that made her love him so much.

When he had her gown off, Vegeta lifted her and brought her to the center of their bed, laying her back on the soft sheets and fluffy pillows.

He then got off the bed and stood on the floor to her right. Bulma turned her head to watch him as he smirked at her before his hands reached down to pull his armor off.

Once the white and gold breastplate was over his head, he untucked his tight top from his pants, then started to pull that off, as well.

He was so stunning, and Bulma watched with eager eyes as the shirt was pulled up, showing off his delectable six-pack, the rippling muscles leading up into the wide chest that she ached to feel in her palms.

He brought his hands down to his narrow waist and clutched the waistband of his pants, peeling off the constricting material, revealing his solid lower abdomen. She let her eyes linger on his powerful thighs, before the pants were falling down to his feet where he carelessly kicked them off.

She sighed in satisfaction as he crawled back into bed and settled over her, his eyes meeting her eyes, his chest meeting her breasts, and she felt one hand roving over her stomach as his other arm braced him over her while his keen eyes took her in.

"Vegeta," she whispered, her hands reaching out to cup his cheeks in her palms, before she allowed them to slowly move along his neck, his shoulders, and finally, to rest on the bulk of his chest, above his nipples, her right hand feeling the rough pounding of his heart against his rib cage.

Vegeta placed one hand under the small of her back, pulling her to a sitting position as he placed his weight on his knees, straddling one of her legs.

Her arms reached out for him, grasping his shoulders before one of her hands moved down, clasping the hard ridges of his back. She felt a shudder leave him as she journey downwards, until her finger found the dark scar above his buttocks, where his tail used to be.

She let her fingers feel the rough skin, and he growled against her mouth, his fingers on her core pressing more insistently as she caressed him.

Unable to stop exploring his body, her hand drifted lower to grab his butt, kneading the tight roundness of him as she felt his fingers touch her core.

"Oh Vegeta!" She cried out, and he took advantage of her distraction to lay her back against the bed again.

She watched as his hands moved to remove her underwear, slowly sliding them down her legs and off her feet.

She moaned in lust, her arms reaching for him again, but he ducked away from her grasp before he reached down and flipped her over so her stomach was flat against the bed.

His hands were on her hips then, pulling her up so she was on all fours before him, her legs wide apart.

She looked over her shoulder to see him, and she saw that he was kneeling behind her, his eyes glued to her.

She felt his mouth on her, and she screamed as Vegeta devoured her, taking her pleasure and breathing into it, his hands against her caressing her so softly while his lips were pure sin.

Her back stiffened, and her arms supporting her began to shake as she felt her release build up at the pit of her stomach. She rocked back against his mouth, his name pushing out of her throat as her body begged him for completion.

"Oh kami, Vegeta!" she screamed as her release washed over her, her body shaking uncontrollably as she rode it out, while Vegeta kept pleasuring her, leading her down from the amazing climax that he had given her.

Her arms and legs were boneless, and she helplessly fell on her face onto a pillow as her limbs gave out completely. Her hands were shaking, and she could feel her feet twitching.

Damn, that was _amazing_. She sure wished she could make her throat work so she can tell him.

It seemed she didn't need to though, as her arrogant prince sprawled himself across her back, his legs moving in between hers as he pressed himself flush against her, and he chuckled into her ear.

"Liked that, did you?" he asked, moving his head to place a wet kiss on the nape of her neck.

"Mm-hmm," she affirmed, turning her head to the side, still trying to catch her breath.

"Consider it my _deepest gratitude_ for helping me survive a virus," he said, his warm breath tickling her neck.

His hands were moving around her body again as she felt him, now hard and fully erect, pressing and rubbing against her core.

She moaned, her body instantly coming back to life at the promise of more pleasure from this beautiful man.

"You saved me, Bulma…" he said, his voice low and passionate as Bulma felt him grasp her waist on her left side, pulling her body up until she lay on her right side under him. She bent her right arm to support her weight on her elbow, her other arm moving up to clutch his powerful bicep.

Vegeta then lifted her left leg, bending it up until it was curled fully against her, the tips of her toes touching the bed. He moved his arms on either side of her, bracing himself on his palms, his arms caging her torso in beneath him.

His face was directly above hers as she craned her neck to face him, and her heart melted at the gentle look in his intense eyes.

" _You_ are the cure…" he whispered heatedly before he leaned down to capture her lips in his, as she felt him nudge her core and begin to enter her.

She moaned loudly against his kiss as he entered her, his body rubbing against her insides so sweetly, completing her.

He pressed his body against her but didn't thrust, his lips still on hers. She gasped against him as she felt his hips move in slow circular motions, and it felt like he was stirring her, making her come to life with his body within her.

His left hand moved to clutch her breast, kneading it eagerly as he continued rubbing himself against her.

The feelings coursing through her seemed unreal.

He was gliding fluidly against her, his whole body touching her, his breath on her cheek, his lips falling onto her eyes, her temple, her lips, as she panted in desire.

"Vegeta…" she mewled as she forced her eyes to open so she could watch his face as he moved sensuously against her.

"Oh kami… this feels so good… Ah!" she murmured, her face so close to his that she could follow the drops of perspiration falling from his forehead.

"Bulma," he answered as his hand on her breast moved up to hold her face.

He looked so open to her in that moment, his eyes shining in wonder, and she felt so overwhelmed by the emotions on his face that she pressed her lips onto his again, kissing him as warmly as she could even as she panted into his mouth.

"Vegeta… I love you," she whispered softly as she released his lips, looking into his eyes as she spoke. "I was so scared. I thought I was gonna lose you."

"Never," he swore, his movements picking up slightly as he tried to press even harder into her. "I won't leave you."

She cried out as he began to thrust harder into her.

"For as long as you want me, Bulma… I will always come back to you," he hissed as he finally began to move urgently against her.

Bulma cried out loud, her body shuddering as he started pounding into her, his arms still holding her close to him.

Bulma pressed herself desperately against him as her lips began spouting unintelligible words amidst the blinding pleasure of his touch.

"P-please," she moaned, her hands clutching fistfuls of their sheets as her feelings began to overflow. It was too much, but she couldn't get enough, could never get enough…

"Bulma… cum with me," he enticed her, and his lips covered her mouth as she began to lose control, claiming the scream that bubbled up from deep within her soul.

"Vegeta! I… oh kami… I am so close!"

He brought his arm to wrap around her waist, pulling her flush against him, close enough to feel his heart rioting against his chest.

"Bulma," he rasped against her, staring into her eyes.

And finally, the mind-numbing pleasure that had built up inside her could no longer be contained, and she came with a shout, her eyes locked on his as she finally leapt off that zenith, and he too came, pressing his forehead onto her temple, eyes closing in bliss, shuddering as his release left him deliciously weak.

His arm supporting him began to give out, and he pulled her to his chest, before he pivoted until he was lying back on the bed, her sprawled across his chest, his arms wrapped protectively around her.

She ran her fingers along the skin of his chest, marveling at the beauty of his skin, at the splendor that was Vegeta.

He was the first to speak, his voice soft and gruff as he basked in their afterglow.

"I am sorry if I worried you," he said, his hand trailing lazy patterns on her skin.

"It's alright. But I am never letting you go to the zoo, ever again," she muttered, eyes closing in bliss as she felt his heart beating steadily within his chest.

"But I meant what I said, Bulma," he continued, and Bulma looked up to see his jaw flex, throat bobbing as he spoke. "I will always come back to you."

His voice was so soft, and she relished the sentimentality that he never showed anyone else, that he rarely showed even to her.

She smiled lovingly at him, and in a voice choked with emotion, answered.

"And I will always be here, only for you, my prince."

8-8-8-8-8

END

8-8-8-8-8

 **A/N 2** :

One episode of the English dub of DBS had Vegeta call Bulma 'babe', and he said the word so off-handedly that now I head canon that they call each other that sometimes.

And yes, I have fallen into the trap that is 'sick Vegeta', and I really enjoyed writing it! I thought that he wouldn't be a very whiny patient, though I am pretty sure that Bulma would be all action-girl at the thought of her Veggie having the sniffles.

On Cancer: The very word usually invokes in my head the thought of disease, hence the sick Veggie trope. However, the Cancer symbol of the Crab actually denotes nurturing, feminine qualities, as Cancer is the caretaker of the zodiac.

Feedback will be greatly appreciated!


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